Waist Deep Open shows growing popularity of disc golf in Texoma

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - An upcoming tournament is showcasing the growth of an unexpected sport in Texoma: disc golf.

Over a hundred people will participate in the upcoming Waist Deep Open, which will be hosted by LowPutt Disc Golf at both Lucy Park and Lake Wichita parks. The latter course recently got a redesign: the local disc golf club didn’t have a tournament-quality course after losing a lot of trees at the park, and the updates came just in time for the tournament.

“I’d like to give a lot of credit to Derin Young with the local club, and Nathan Beiver,” Professional Disc Golf Association member Andy Newberry said. “There were other hands that helped, and they would bounce some ideas off me but their dedication is why we have a course ready for this tournament and that people are going to enjoy.”

While smaller courses are tucked away in parks all around Wichita Falls, having a tournament-quality course is not only important for the local disc golf club but may also attract other visitors to the area.

“A lot of towns have really built themselves their little disk golf community with tournaments,” Newberry said. “People come in and see it, then they’re more likely to stop when they’re not playing a tournament. When they’re driving through here, driving up to Oklahoma City, ‘Well let’s pull through Wichita Falls and play that course, ‘cause we might play that tournament in June.’”

Wichita Falls and surrounding areas are creating more and more courses as the sport grows in popularity. Sheppard Air Force Base is one of the few military installations that doesn’t have a golf course; it has a disc golf course instead.

The Waist Deep Open will take place from June 3-5, and consists of both pro and amateur divisions organized into levels of difficulty and age. Pro divisions have a chance to win cash prizes, while amateur divisions can win merchandise. To learn more, click here.

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